RIVIERA BEACH, FL—Teleneurology is a disrup- tive approach that could change the way neurologists think about providing care, according to a lecture
given at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Southern Clinical Neurological Society. Teleneurology could make
specialized care available for everyone at any time or
place, but the approach “needs greater acceptance by
providers, patients, and payers,” said David J. Houghton, MD, MPH, Chief of the Division of Movement
and Memory Disorders at Ochsner Health System in
New Orleans.
Teleneurology may be defined as the provision of
neurologic care from a distance using various technolo-
gies. One factor that could indicate a need for teleneu-
rology is the unavailability of neurologic care in cer-
tain, especially rural, areas. Half of American hospitals
have fewer than 100 beds and do not routinely have
neurology services available because of low demand.
Teleneurology could meet the urgent need to provide
specialty expertise, such as epileptology, throughout a
given geographic area, said Dr. Houghton. Also, tele-
neurology can contribute to a patient-centered model
of care by allowing individuals to avoid inconvenient
or expensive travel.
Major applications of teleneurology include emergency services (eg, for stroke or status epilepticus),
inpatient consultations, and outpatient consultations.
Another main application is the transmission of test
results (eg, EEG) to a remote neurologist who can interpret them and provide a diagnosis or recommend
treatment. Finally, teleneurology could facilitate outreach such as patient-education programs, caregiver
education, and recruitment for clinical trials.
March 2016
Volume 24, Number 3
Will Teleneurology Change
How Doctors Provide Care?
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Inside This Issue
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